Apple and Motorola, who have been embroiled in patent litigation, with both sides now agreeing to drop the suit. In a statement, Apple and Google (who owned Motorola at the time the suit was originally heard) both said they’d work together on patent reform.
The original dust-up occurred in 2010, when Motorola sued Apple over various cellular connectivity patents. Apple countersued over patents relating to smartphone operation. After several of those suits were consolidated, a Judge ruled in 2012 that neither had enough evidence to proceed. Though it wasn’t a Google-Apple court battle, it was as close as we’ve seen thus far.
The joint-statement announcing an end to the uneasiness between the two companies noted it didn’t offer a cross-licensing deal, which could potentially undermine other court proceedings. The filing simply notes that both parties want the case dismissed.
Does this mean the end of the line for Apple and Motorola? Likely, but not conclusively. Motorola Mobility is now owned by Lenovo, but hasn’t a leg to stand on. Google owns a vast majority of patents they got in the Motorola sale, which likely prompted them to simply drop the case. With Google heading up Android, it may have turned into a messy, drawn-out battle.
Source: Reuters
